Pera-perahang Lata

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Everybody else is doing it, so why not try it? It looks promising... the film's Facebook page where all photos, videos, and links can be readily organized and properly documented. Easy access, especially when being asked about online resources for screenings and programs where the film is entered or invited to. So here you go...

Tickets will be available at the door or simply purchase them at www.brownpapertickets.com and type in Filipino International Film Festival.
$10 for any showings on Saturday and Sunday
$50 for an ALL ACCESS PASS to any of the films.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

The Hong Kong Arts Centre and the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong are proud to co-present The 1st Philippine Film Festival from 5 to 11 July 2010 at the agnès b. CINEMA of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Under the banner of "Hou Yeh Pinoy" (meaning "Great! Filipinos!"), a cultural fiesta organised by the Philippine Consulate General, The 1st Philippine Film Festival will share with the Hong Kong audience works of film art by the burgeoning independent film industry of the Philippines that is rapidly making its mark in the world stage. The festival also hopes to open up a new platform for cultural understanding between Hong Kong and the Philippines.

The film festival celebrates the new breed of Filipino filmmakers whose works have been screened at prestigious film fairs in Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Vienna and Rotterdam, and received accolades from distinguished international film bodies.It showcases 9 films that delve into a variety of subjects such as race, social class, sexuality, war, and music, many of them set against the backdrop of the Philippines' rich cultural heritage. Some of the films are Hong Kong premieres.

The film festival also serves to mark the 112th anniversary of Philippine Independence and the 35th anniversary of Philippine-China diplomatic relations this year. The Hong Kong Arts Centre is proud to take part in commemorating this milestone event and sincerely hopes that our audience would take this opportunity to enjoy this rare and wonderful occasion.

Entrance is free. Tickets can be obtained at the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong and at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. First-come-first-served.

1. Tickets are of limited distribution. Priority is given to audience who first pick up the tickets at the distribution points (to be listed above). Each audience is entitled to a maximum of four screening tickets throughout the Philippine Film Festival.

2. One person per ticket. Free seating. First-come, first served.

About Films and Screening Schedule:

Feature Films

The Forgotten War
05/07 (Monday), 7:30 p.m.
Philippines/2009/ Color/DVD/99 mins/In Filipino, English and Korean with English and Korean Subtitles
Director: Carlo Cruz

The Forgotten War recounts the different stories from the four Battalion Combat Teams (BCTs) that visited Korea in the 1950s under the United Nations Command. They were known as the Philippine Extraordinary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK). They were sent to uphold peace in democratic South Korea after being invaded by North Korea. The film recreates important battle scenes and shares the stories of the soldiers finding courage, dedication, strength, and love as they face adversity amidst the tragic backdrop of war.

Concerto
06/07 (Tuesday), 7:30 p.m.
Philippines/2008 /Color/DVD/90 mins./In Filipino and Japanese with English Subtitles
Director: Paul Alexander Morales
Winner of Golden Screen Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Production Awards, the Philippines 2009

Concerto is about how, in the last part of World War II, a special piano concert is held in the forest outside Davao City, in Mindanao. In these boondocks, a displaced Filipino family, led by Military Commander Ricardo and his wife Julia, becomes acquainted with a group of Japanese officers, similarly camped nearby. Their son Joselito, a Japanese speaker, becomes the conduit with the neighbouring Japanese. Family values are questioned as the family treads the thin line between enmity and friendship with the occupying Japanese. Based on true stories from the director's own family history, Concerto celebrates a family whose reverence for life, expressed through their love of music and friendship, can survive even war, and shows how beauty and compassion grow in even the harshest of conditions.

Maxi is a 12-year-old effeminate gay boy who lives in the slums with his father and brothers who are petty thieves. The story primarily revolves around the conflict between his love for handsome young police officer Victor, and his family's illegal livelihood. One night Maxi is accosted by two men who attempt to molest him, but is saved by the appearance of Victor. Victor does not have a girlfriend, and his sexuality is never revealed. He rebuffs Maxi's advances, only affectionately stroking Maxi's head even when the boy steals a kiss. The last scene is clever homage to the final scene of The Third Man.

Shot in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, Brutus was one of the ten Cinemalaya 2008 entries. The film centres on two kids smuggling logs from the mountains. The journey opens their eyes to a "world" that is ruled by greed and torn by political conflicts.

Jay
09/07 (Friday), 7:30 p.m.
Philippines/2008/Color/DVD/84 mins./In Filipino with English Subtitles
Director: Francis X. Pasion
Winner of Golden Screen Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role (Drama), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Drama, Musical or Comedy) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Drama, Musical or Comedy) Awards, the Philippines 2009

Jay Mercado, a promising young schoolteacher, has been brutally murdered. The grotesque image of his blood-stained body flashes on a television screen as an off-screen narrator coolly shares his story. According to the report, Jay, a known homosexual, leaves behind his impoverished family who are devastated when they learn of Jay's fate, a supposed sex crime. His estranged ex-boyfriend, the prime suspect, remains at-large. Through a pseudo-documentary style, Francis X. Pasion's Jay exposes the perverse ways "reality" television constructs the "truth". Pasion's astute social satire is a disturbing depiction of modern media that questions our own viewing habits.

Boses is the story of a musician named Ariel who offers violin lessons to an abused child Onyok of the slums. Ariel discovers the immense talent of Onyok hiding behind a veneer of silence and pain caused by an unhappy and cruel father. Through the violin, Onyok is able to get back his voice from a mute, desensitised existence. In developing a friendship between the teacher and the student stemming from their love of music, both characters discover each other's strengths and failures.

Norma straddles between two worlds as mother to Ruby and nanny to Louise. When Norma takes Ruby to the city to live with Louise's family, the two girls struggle to share the woman they both fiercely love. Every day is a balancing act for Norma as she deals with her demanding ward and her headstrong daughter; a generous employer and her opinionated mother-in-law; the desire for a good life and the need to survive.

Veering away from the stereotypical melodrama, Mother Nanny portrays the Filipino nanny with veracity and shows both her strengths and vulnerability. The film imparts valuable lessons, and inspires the audience to stand for the difficult choices one has to make in life.

Jacko owns an Italian restaurant in Bacolod City. When a monstrous cock fighting debt sets him at odds with Boss Dolpo, he offers his restaurant up as payment. Boss Dolpo brings in Cassie Labayen as a consultant to renovate the restaurant. Much to Jacko's dismay, Cassie decides to offer Negrense cuisine instead of Italian. The pair then set off across the province re-discovering the unique aspects of Negrense food.

Penny from the Tin Can exposes both the rich culture of the able Filipinos and the struggle of lower-middle to lower-class Filipinos in the Manila commune set during the Pinoy Christmas season-amidst the exciting tradition of gift-giving, caroling, and the "Simbang Gabi".

The tin can is the film's binding factor. More than just costing the main character his living and another person's death, the utilising of the tin can on asking for alms and the children transforming them into musical instruments for their Christmas carols, it represents a very frequent element that Filipinos use every day.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Where to find us:St. Elijah Hall26 Acacia St. Brgy. Mariana, New ManilaQuezon City

pelikula@titusbrandsma is a free monthly film screening with dialogue that features fine samples of world cinema. It is an offering of the Titus Brandsma Center-Media Program under the auspices of the Carmelites in the Philippines. This monthly event is aimed at giving a meaningful experience for film enthusiasts.

Synopsis: “Pera-perahang Lata” is about the plight of a young man who tries to make up for his inconsiderate moves towards a needy stranger, but he ends up seeing another tragedy from it. It explores the many facets of a struggling life in a world that is full of unpredictable moments – where some things are really beyond one’s control.

The setting is during the Christmas season where the needy, middle class, and rich people come together sharing gifts, giving and receiving alms, adorning their homes, offices and other establishments with Christmas decors, and attending the “Simbang Gabi.”

This film exposes both the rich culture and the struggle of lower-middle to lower-class Filipinos in the Manila commune set during the Filipino Christmas season – amidst the exciting tradition of gift-giving, caroling, and the “Simbang Gabi.”

The film’s look is a combination of: the dark and gritty; and the light and Yuletide. The realistic treatment mainly shows the dark alleys, well-lit buildings, and different kinds of people travailing public places.

Synopsis: Rachel and Heck, long time friends and lovers, finally tie the knot, and during the celebration, Rachel starts a friendship with their florist, Luce. And while Rachel originally intended to match her new friend, Luce, up with her husband's friend, Cooper, she soon finds out that Luce is a lesbian. During the course of their friendship, Rachel starts to question her own sexuality. And though she comes to realize she may have feelings for her new friend, Rachel must decide who she will ultimately find the most happiness with: Heck, her new husband who is also adored by her family, or Luce, who has turned her life and everything she thought she new about love upside down.

Awards/Nominations: Nominated for 2007 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film

The Same, but DifferentA documentary by Lisa Marie Evans65 mins.

Synopsis: The Same, but Different explores the various roles of four transgender individuals in the Midwest United States, including a fundamentalist Christian anarchist; a Catholic republican; your average single guy; a comedienne and parent of two. Claven, Andrea, Jaron and Nicole open their realities, allowing us to see the similarities we share.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Hi! If you’re free on Aug. 5 and 6, I’m inviting you to attend the 1st Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival with the films “Pera-perahang Lata” and “Karsel” showing at the UP Film Institute UP Cine Adarna.

Pera-perahan is the opening film on Aug. 5 at 1pm while Karsel is also showing on Aug. 6, 3:40 pm. It will also be screened on Aug. 10 for the Poverty and Underdevelopment Program at the Asia Pacific College on Aug. 10, 1pm.

After the school screenings, selected films will also be shown at various communities and workplaces.

Hope to cya!

- Rianne

Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media FestivalAug. 5 and 6 at the University of the Philippines Cine Adarna and Aug. 10 at the Asia Pacific College

Free Admission

University of the Philippines Diliman Cine AdarnaAugust 5, 2009, 1:00pm to 7:00pm

Monday, August 3, 2009

To those who weren’t able to make it last June 3 at the Gateway Cineplex 10 premiere, and those who would also like to see “Pera-perahang Lata,” you can catch it, along with my first film (thesis film) “Karsel,” at the 1st Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival. And there are lots of more films to checkout… Free screenings for all the films listed below! =D General information about the festival below. Hope to see you there!

Tudla Productions in cooperation with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, University of the Philippines Film Institute, Asia Pacific College, Courage Partylist and the Quezon City Times News presents:

10:00am to 12:00nn – Talk on The Challenges of Political Film Production,speakers: Direk Carlitos Siguion Reyna, Dr. Roland Tolentino and Concerned Artists of the Philippines at the Ishmael Bernal Gallery

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About Me

Having been bitten by the film bug, I have realized that
pain is temporary; film is forever. I'm a free-spirited
artist who is in constant search for the ultimate
experience in every place--seeking inspirations for every work...